The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-12
Further Comments from tho Press on
tho Recent Legislature.

VIII AsCCChC 1IcAlStlCuFC.
The present Legislature too, like
all It's predecessors, was guilty, at its
first session, of the sin of omission
in more than one instance. 1t failed
to pass several measures before it
which clearly had for their object re.
trenchmcnt in the administration of
the State and county governments of
the very sort demanded by the peo.
pie. Lancaster RevieaV.
The Lancaster Ledger in reviewing
the work of the General Assembly
concludes by saying: ut will thus
be seen that very little has, been
done to reduce the expenses Of the
State Government and very few i'm.
portant changes made"
In spite of the tremendous ayita.
ton which shook the very founda.
tions of South Carolina democracy
during the year that has just closed
no measures Of reform were passed.
The appropriations are as large as
cver.-Pee Dee Hatle~.
The Legislature has put in some
hard work, and passed fewer mum.
Der of acts than usual, but these acts
will likely be beneficial, and none of
them are calculated to do harm.--
Clarendon Enterprise.
No great deal was done for TIE
agricultural interests Of the State.
The House showed more disposition
to do something in that line than did
the Senate. The former body by a
decided vote, passed concurrent
resolution to appoint an Agricultural
Commission, to consist Of ex.Gover.
nor Johnson Hagood, of Barnwell,
ex-Chancellor johnson, of Marion,
and Capt. b. r. Tillman, of Edge
field, to visit the several A 3ricutural
Colleges now in existence, or as
many as might be necessary, with a
view to the establishment of a similar
institution in the State, if deemed
practicable. In other words, the OBJ.
ject of the proposed commission was
to obtain information, light. The
three gentlemen proposed are among
the most prominent, experienced and
successful farmers in the State. Af-
ter passing the House by a decided
vote, as we have stated, the resolu.
tion was sent to the Senate, where it
was killed by large majority. The
main objection urged against the pro.
posed measure was that it would
cost neutrality-suspicious. q few hun.
dred dollars or more. 1t seemed
that whenever any measure was pro.
posed in the interest Of agriculture
certain members of the Senate were
attacked by a sudden economic fit,
yet these same economists were al.
ways ready to vote thousands of dol
lars for "the moro speedy develop.
ment of the Columbia Canal" and
make other large appropriations
without stint. We are inclined to
think there are too many profession.
al gentlemen in the present Senate
to give the agricultural interest q
fair show. We do not mean to ap.
ply this remark to the disposition
of the learned professions generally,
towards agriculture. We have ref.
erence to the complexion and dis.
position Of the present Senate, as it
impressed us, the principal opposi-
ton to proposed leglation in the in.
terest Of agriculture at the recent
session, being made by the lawyers
and the doctors. We feel it due one
prominent lawyer in the Senate, how.
ever, to make an exception in his
favor. When the concurrent resolu-
ton came up proposing to appoint
the Commission above referred to,
he promptly took the floor and made
an able, manly and unanswerable ar.
gument in favor Of the measure. He
foresaw its defeat, as he seemed to
think, and warned the Senate Of the
ultimate effect Of the rejection Of SO
modest and reasonable O REQUEST in
the interest Of the farmers of the
State. lie predicted, as one of the
effects ofthc rejection of the measure,
that the present Board Of Agricul-
ture would be completely rcorganized
year hence, and those now com.
posing it, from the first officer down,
would be removed, and others put in
their place. This prediction may
prove true. The lawyer to whom we
refer was Maj. Buist, Of Charleston.
X
The learned professions were not
the only obstructers to legisla.
lation in the interest of agriculture.
When the bill proposing to rcor.
ganize the Agricultural Department
came up in the Senate some farmers
were its strongest opponents, notably
the farmer.merchants. One Senator
farmer, (not farmer. r.mcrchant) who
resides NOT q thousand ,,;lon fro,,,